This guest post was contributed by Mariana Ashley.
Funnel cakes, churros, and cotton candy—these foods may be considered a “staple” at the iconic Disney parks, but give-in to their sugary, fried sweetness and it’ll have you frowning long after you leave the Happiest Place on Earth.
Don’t get confused— Disney isn’t really a dieter’s Nightmare Before Christmas. In fact, attending Disney Land or Disney World is a great way to break up your regular gym routine. You burn tons of calories walking the park (the average person walks 8 to10 miles a day), you build muscle tone in your calves waiting in the long lines, and the adrenaline you build up going on some of the more faster, scarier rides can help you burn fat. But it’s the tantalizing food that can really can do damage to your will power and make you break your diet. To learn how you can stay on track even while surrounded by all of the delicious park food, continue reading below.
1. Bring Own Snacks
One of the easiest ways to avoid making bad food choices, at least when it comes to snacking, is to bring in your own healthy alternatives. Park regulations state that it’s perfectly ok to bring in outside food, so might as well take advantage of it. While you could always bring in a full lunch, dealing with cold cut meats is sort of risky, so you may want to skip on the sandwiches. But bringing in light and portable healthy snacks like whole wheat pita chips, dried fruit, almonds, and granola bars is great way to stay on track and save money.
2. Make Responsible Choices
If you’re going to eat at a quick service restaurant or grab food from a small vendor, at least think about all your options and make responsible choices: aim for grilled chicken sandwiches instead of hamburgers (hold the mayo); go for wraps instead of corn dogs (hold bacon and the ranch dressing); see if you can substitute side fries for carrots or another vegetable; and hold the butter on your popcorn. Want something sweet? Get a fruit cup instead. Fruit is filled with tons of natural sugar that hold more nutritional value than a slice of apple pie.
3. Go to a Sit Down Restaurant
If you’re really looking for variety and a place where they might be more flexible with substitutions, having a sit down meal will probably be your best bet. For Disney World goers exclusively, eat at Epcot. There are tons of places that offer healthy dishes there, including grilled salmon, sandwiches, soups and salads. Our recommendation is the Garden Grill—they offer vegetables grown from The Land. Doing a little research deciding where you want to eat beforehand can help you make better eating choices as well. There are forums, like this one, that have widgets to help you locate what type of food you’re looking for. Just type in a keyword like “salad” and voila! A list of restaurants with that food item will pop up.
4. Drink Tons of Water
Lastly, and by far most importantly, you need to skip the soda and other sugary drinks like frozen lemonade and drink water. Not only is it zero in calories, but you’ll need to rehydrate your body after all that walking, especially during the hot summery months.
Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.
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